boo moo

Last night I was watching an episode of that crazy Food Network show "Will Work For Food" and the host, Adam, turned into a 19th century cook for a day. One of his tasks was to milk the cows and, although not strictly relegated to an 1830's to do list, it's something I've never experienced before. They went on to skim the heavy cream from the milk and - catch this - throw the skimmed milk into the pig's trough. Apparently milk was treated more as a means to a food-related end, and they'd really only use it for the cream and then to make butter. Skim milk wasn't drunk as a beverage and perhaps wasn't even fit for human consumption. Huh.

Like most kids, I grew up on 2% milk. As I got into high school, we started veering towards 1% but my mom couldn't get her head around skim. My girlfriends drank it and peer pressure be damned, 20 years later I'm still drinking skim milk. When I went through my first naturopathic detox (as opposed to court-ordered, that is), cutting out dairy was imperative. I started really enjoying almond milk. I never liked soy milk so having a dairy alternative that I could actually stomach on my corn flakes was a new idea for me. (Note: I have yet to get excited about an ice cold glass of plain almond milk, however.) Since I leanred too much years ago about hormones and antibiotics given to dairy cows, I decided that if I am going to drink milk, I'm going to suck up the $5.39 a gallon and buy organic. Two plus years later, I'm still skipping back and forth between my almond milk and organic skim cow's milk. Which, I think, is where the trouble began.

A handful of times now, I've picked up ultrapasteurized organic milk. I understand the concept: because there isn't so much "stuff" in the milk, they need to take a few extra steps to ensure they don't go around getting their customers sick. Talk about bad PR. But you know how cheese in Europe tastes so much better than cheese here? Other than the accompanying wine and the amazing views? Well, it's because they use unpasteurized milk to start. Heating the be-jeezus out of the milk, while customer-friendly and germ-unfriendly, really takes the heart out of the end product. And this from a girl who only knows pasteurized milk! But it simply doesn't taste very good when it's been cooked til within an inch of its life. And the organic regularly pasteurized keeps going bad in my fridge after about 4 days.

So what's a girl to do? If I buy organic pasteurized, it goes bad faster than I can consume it. Waste of money. If I buy conventional, I'm worried about what I'm ingesting. I might as well go back to almonds; I know what's in those. And if I buy organic ultrapasteurized, it simply tastes terrible. The national brands aren't great; the local brands don't seem to be much better. But milk it good for you! It has lots of great stuff in it! I feel trapped.

"Talk about being a long way from our food," the budding locavore in me sighs deeply. And one can only wonder what milk tasted like back before we started doing all of these crazy things to it. I'm taking this down to the farmer's market and asking some questions. Because I know there must be a better solution that doesn't require me giving up my nutrition, good taste and money...because all of those things are incredibly valuable to me. Maybe there's just some sweet local cow that roams the meadowside, munching on grass, that can help me understand what milk is even supposed to taste like these days. And maybe some smart producer will realize that some people live alone and need a smaller-than-half-gallon option for organic milk. In the meantime, I'll give up the hot cocoas and tall glasses of moo juice with a cookie. I can wait.

spring fling

Amazing. Two days of hovering-around-zero temps earlier this week and tomorrow it's going to be high 40's. All together now, folks: only in Minnesota! But I feel a little more confident looking at the weather report for the next 10 days that perhaps spring has - finally - sprung. And I am so ready.

This week has been overwhelmed by my as-yet-developing bathroom redo. My beautiful new Marmoleum flooring has some sort of issue and at least 1/2 of it will have to be torn out (again) and reinstalled (again). This also means a minimum of another entire day without a bathroom...in about 10 days when the flooring arrives. I still have all the under-cabinet boxes and buckets in the middle of my living room! It's a pain, to say the least. But I figure, if I'm going to go through all of this, I certainly want it done right!

On the upside, the new paint started going on yesterday and the color is exquisite. It's a deep grapey plum color that brings a fair amount of sophistication and swank to my loo! But I think it's going to make me want to reconsider some of the decor in there. I also had the contractor pull out a completely irrelevant towel bar, providing another expanse of wall space that I didn't have before. I'm starting to think about ways to use that space...

But here's the fun part: I've decided that once the drywall dust and flooring adhesive settles, I'm going to sort of redecorate my entire loft. By that I mean the little touches, the little decor items that are in each room. I'm going to pull everything out that makes sense (as in, not the bedside lamps which can only really go right there) and put it all on the dining room table. I'm going to add the items that have been in storage for the past 3 years. And then I'm going to start fresh. Decide what each room needs, pull from my stash and repurpose everything that should be repurposed. Then, when I see what I have left to deal with, I'll fill in the blanks from my favorite vintage shops, thrift stores and maybe even a little trip to IKEA and Target to round things out. I'm excited to re-look at everything with new eyes and put things together in new ways. And for as little cash as possible! BONUS!

Of course, as I do each room, I'm going to give it the spring cleaning and purging of its life. After it's all redecorated and cleaned to a high shine, the rest of this stuff is going to the Goodwill. This spring cleaning is going to be intense. I can't wait for the feeling of a fresh start!

gloom rx

Today is one of those late winter days in the Midwest when we wonder, truly, will spring ever come? We've had 2 straight days of overcast, foggy, spitting gloom from the sky...and a promise of snow today. I don't think we'll be anywhere near the 10-15 inches they're predicting for northern MN but still. I don't want to think about snow at all. I want to think about cute open-toed sandals and sitting on my deck with the sun on my face, drinking my morning tea.

So I'm improvising. Because sometimes you've just gotta fake it until you make it. Lots of warm light around the loft this morning - some plain basic candles in strategic spots. Some wonderfully nummy scented candles, like my favorite Votivo Deep Clover, adding a little dimension to the flat day. Upbeat music. Freshly juiced orange juice. Crossing fingers...

These candles rock although, forgive me, they're not overly green. They're made of a really high quality parafin wax (meaning super long burn time) and they do have a nice papercore wick, so that's a plus. The end product is a beautifully handmade, hand packaged little lovely. They are incredibly scented and I've found that Deep Clover will actually remove any funky odor from your home - fish cooked in olive oil, cake overflowed onto oven floor, what have you - it just seems to eat the unwanted scent. I burn these very judiciously because they're not cheap; but at times, they're just what the doctor ordered.

PS - for those that have been eagerly awaiting the much more eco-friendly soy candles that I've been pimping for years, hang in there just a little longer. We're close to an assortment breakthrough that I think will make everyone happy! More to come!)

series: personal branding, starting out

In the past week, I have been reminded several times of the importance of a personal brand - the individual, identifiable face we put out to the world - in our everyday lives. Things are changing all around us. Things are changing in our checking accounts, our retirement balances, how we make our living. Things changing that much would be enough to send the most secure, introspective person into bed for a week with the covers over her head. Crafting, or really documenting, our own statement about who we are and what we stand for can bring some real clarity. And the truth? It's already in each one of us. Even if it's hidden deep beneath all of those notions about "what I should do," "who I thought I would be," "what used to be passionate about before I simply ran out of time, " it is really, truly, positively already inside us. Sometimes we just need to help it out.

Many people are being sort of forced to self-evaluate due to job loss. I've SO been there over the years, and I know many people I know are in this mode now. To even start thinking about what do I want to do now? is incredibly overwhelming. My answer to so many of these fork-in-the-road life challenges is to research, read, ask people to share their experiences and ask people who do this kind of thing for a living. And I really tend to put a lot of faith and attention towards those who are outwardly living their values. When you meet them, you just know. It's almost electric just being around them or reading their words.

About 3 years ago, I went through my 2nd layoff. I took a year off and did a lot of navel gazing. I thought about the values and beliefs I had deep under the façade of my job, my title, my paycheck. When I could take that GIANT step back and gain some perspective, a few things really stood out for me. I knew - really knew this time - that getting back on the corporate roller coaster wasn't going to work. I constantly felt like a square peg in a round hole. Would you have been able to tell that about me at the time? No. I did my best to put my work face on and go in each day determined to do my best. Even if I wasn't doing what was best for me. I look back now at some of the work situations I allowed myself to get into and realize that I was doing the direct opposite of being authentic. I let others define the role I would play in my work life and, quite frankly, bought into the entire program. Led by false values – title, perceived status, money – I made career decisions that didn’t really fit who I was. And that took me off course. I set my own dreams and aspirations aside. Well, no more.

So how do you start figuring out your own authentic values, your personal mission statement, your brand? Here’s what I’d recommend:

• Do your own self-inventory and exploration. Get a great journal and a nice pen that feels good in your hand. Be consistent about using them both; you’ll have to set aside time to really do this.
• Get inspired. Read books and magazines like the ones listed below. Watch motivational movies. Watch Oprah! Do whatever it takes to get your head into a positive, uplifted, and open place.
• Don’t try to cram it all in at once. If you get a book to work through or just wing it on your own (or even with my guidance), don’t muscle through it with the idea that you’re going to quickly resolve things. It just doesn’t work that way.
• Be patient with yourself. Not every day is a day of significant insight. Leave that pressure to the Nobel prize winners of the world.
• Start with gratitude. One of the first things that I recommend is to take that notebook and about 3 pages from the end, start a gratitude list. Write down 100 things you’re thankful for in your life. You probably won’t crank it all out in one sitting but make sure you do finish it.
• THEN, dig in to the exercises that will help you put a finer point on your personal brand. I'll be pulling together some of these and posting here if you're interested.

A few resources I love:
Oprah's website and magazine and tv show, of course. Lots of great content on living authentically, simply, honestly...in your truth. A definite idol for me.
PINK website and magazine. Good insights for working women...and what woman really isn't working?
Make a Name for Yourself: Eight Steps Every Woman Needs to Create a Personal Brand Strategy for Success
Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live - another wonderful idol
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It - this one is wonderful if you've ever considered going out on your own, but I also found it to be a great resource for the "finding myself" process even when I worked for others.